This Positive News story about wild swimming is a great example of how engagement with the natural world can prompt environmental action.
Surfrider is another important group of ocean advocates. Not only is their organization powered by surfers, there are also hundreds of other non-surfing volunteers who support their initiatives, including my sister, Janis Jones, who serves as co-lead for the San Diego Chapter Rise Above Plastics committee .
Ocean lovers will be in Sacramento this week for California Ocean Day, April 28. With so many initiatives for law makers to consider, I took the time to write to my representatives, to express my concerns and encourage their support for these ocean protection issues.
AB 1536 is an effort to increase oil pipeline safety and would change state law to significantly tighten oversight and safety requirements for aging and high-risk existing oil pipelines near California's coast, particularly those that have already spilled.
Always interested in crafting an appropriate response, with something to wear that fits the occasion, I created a "Never Forget" necklace that addresses the devastating effects of offshore oil drilling.
Earthrise 1968 by Bill Anders, the image of the blue marble floating in the black void, was a powerful wakeup call to the citizens of planet Earth. In February 1969, photographs of the oil-soaked birds from the Santa Barbara oil spill were the heartbreaking evidence of the impact of humans on planet Earth. The synergy of those two images became a motivating example of the role what artists as image-makers can play.
Unfortunately, since Santa Barbara, there have been many oil catastrophes that have affected hundreds of thousands of birds and animals, underscoring the need for action.
This necklace stands as a reminder and declaration of commitment to never forget
the lasting environmental consequences of these disasters.
Just as I was wrapping up this post, I learned that Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed today as California Ocean Day. Read all about it HERE.
